Last Call - Contemporary Art and Islamic Tradition at Katonah Museum through Sunday, June 17th

Ala Ebtekar, Zenith V, 2014,

 acrylic over cyanotype on canvas, four panels 60 1/4 x 30 1/4 in. each. 

© Ala Ebtekar. Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line, Dubai.

Dear Friends -

Please do not miss this fabulous exhibition, closed last week for the Katonah Gala and now open again until Sunday.  Several of our favorite artists have excellent works in this show: Shirin Neshat, Ghada Amer and Shahzia Sikander.  Plus several artists you want to get to know.  These are outstanding choices for this well curated introduction to contemporary artists who are of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent. 

Here are the details on the KMA website:

Long, Winding Journeys: Contemporary Art and the Islamic Tradition presents a focused look at a group of artists of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent whose work engages the diverse forms of Islamic visual tradition to explore religion, culture, and socio-political issues today. It takes its title from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar’s essay, The Breath of Miraj, a response to artist Shahzia Sikander work, Portrait of the Artist. The text speaks to the manner in which Islam and its history can inspire creative life to become a “long, winding journey.” It simultaneously serves as a metaphor for the travel of a visual tradition through time and its ability to nimbly adapt to an ever-changing world.

Long, Winding Journeys brings artists’ voices to the fore as they mine links between the seemingly distant past and contemporary experience. The works in the exhibition draw from centuries-old forms—such as calligraphy, miniature painting, geometric patterning, textiles, and architecture—that have come to define historical Islamic art. Employing this lineage, the artists explore the intersection of visual traditions and other kinds of inherited histories: the rich meaning and complex constraints of religious and cultural customs; rituals of spiritual practice; political upheaval and violent conflict; and diaspora’s effect on identity and belonging. Art of the past acts as a lens through which to view present-day experience.

Artists include Anila Agha, Faig Ahmed, Ammar Al Attar, Noor Ali Chagani, Khadim Ali, Shiva Ahmadi, Ghada Amer, Afruz Amighi, Nazgol Ansarinia, Nasser Al Salem, Fereydoun Ave, Shoja Azari, Ala Ebtekar, Monir Farmanfarmaian, Shadi Ghadirian, Babak Golkar, Susan Hefuna, Shirazeh Houshiary, Pouran Jinchi, Hayv Kahraman, Baseera Khan, Hassan Massoudy, Jordan Nassar, Shirin Neshat, Hadieh Shafie, Shahzia Sikander and Ayad Akhtar, Kurosh ValaNejad and Peter Brinson, and Imran Qureshi.

This exhibition is organized by Guest Curator, Elizabeth Rooklidge, with research assistance from curatorial intern, Caitlin Monachino, and Assistant Curator, Olga Dekalo.

Click here to download the exhibition brochure.

Back soon with more info about this exciting art weekend -

Cheers!

Beth

Beth S. Gersh-Nešić, Ph.D.
Director and owner
New York Arts Exchange, LLC
www.nyarts-exchange.com